animate create

8/17/2019 Animate Create

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Hello,

This is the second edition of Animate & Create’s animation information pack, aimed at

getting young people started in the world of animation. This guide has been put together by

the Animate & Create crew to help support the teaching of animation in the classroom andalso for those of you who want begin animating for the rst time at home.

I’ve made over a hundred lms with young people in the last ve years and have put

together this pack using my experiences to make it simple. I’m aware that technology

can be scary and that nding resources can be difcult, but I’ve tried where ever possible

to simplify techniques so that everyone can take part. In this pack we cover a range of

techniques and show step by step demonstrations included in hand outs.

This guide is also supported by an online resource series of ‘How to’ videos, which contains

demonstrations and further tips about getting started with your animations. The short series

covers all six of the exercises in this pack, showing exactly how to make your own creations.

The series can been found on our website here.

I really believe that animation is an important learning tool and a really great way for young

people to express themselves. I hope that this pack can help you take your rst steps into

animation or build on from previous work.

Good Luck with your animations!

Dan RichardsAnimator

Animate & Create


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Free Software

PC, Animator DV Simple

http://animatordv.com/download7

PC, Helium Frog

http://www.heliumfrog.com/

PC, Stop Motion Recorder

http://www.familievandeput.nl/stopmotion/index.php?n=SMR.HomePage

PC, StopMoJohttp://www.mondobeyondo.com/projects/stopmojo/

MAC, Frame Thief www.framethief.com

MAC, Frame by Frame

http://web.mac.com/philipp.brendel/Software/FrameByFrame.html

Software for Sale

PC, ZU3D

http://www.zu3d.com

PC, Stop-Motion Pro

http://www.stopmotionpro.com

MAC, Dragon Stop-Motionhttp://www.dragonstopmotion.com/

MAC, iStopmotion

http://boinx.com/istopmotion/overview/


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Would you be interested in having a specialist workshopprovided? Animate & Create offers a variety of exible

animation workshops for all ages.

Our workshops cover every element of production; from

script to screen with model-making, animation, sound

recording and editing. All workshops are led by industry

professionals, who help and inspire the young peoples’

lms. The ideas and development processes are led by

the young people, who keep all the artwork and models

produced during the workshop, plus a copy of theircompleted lm on DVD and a certicate.

Past lms made during Animate & Create workshops have

gone on to be screened at national and international lm

festivals, winning a number of prizes and awards. They

have also been recognised by the animation industry, by

studios including Aardman Animations.

Workshops range from two hour model making sessions,

all the way up to ve day animation projects. Any topic,

theme or issue can be covered and we always aim to t

around specic requirements.

For more information, visit www.animateandcreate.com

or email [email protected]


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Canterbury Anifest is an annual event which

in 2011 takes place between 30th September

and 2nd October.

For more information visit www.

canterburyanifest.com or email info@

animateandcreate.com

Getting involved!

At Anifest each year there is the ‘Smalllms

Award’; a competition young people under

seventeen from the across the UK can enter.

The competition is named in honour of the

Canterbury animators who brought us such

classic animations as Bagpuss. It gives young

lmmakers and schools the chance to see

their work on the big screen and compete to

take home a glitzy award! Information about

the competition can be found on the Anifest

website.


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Flip books are a great starting point for animation. The process is simple and the only cost is the price of

a pad of post-it notes. The idea of a ip book is to show a short action or event over a series of drawings.

When planning your ipbook, don’t over-complicate the animation. Draw a simple character doing a

single movement or action. In Episode One, Dan chose to draw a bouncing ball.

For your animation, take a pad of post-its with at least 40 sheets and a pen. When choosing your pad,make sure that the pages are tightly secured at the top, to keep your book together to ip. It’s also

important to have a pad with pages which are slightly transparent to help judge where your drawing

needs to be positioned. When you choose a pen, you’ll need to make sure it is one that doesn’t bleed

through to the page below - so test your pen before starting. When drawing, try not to press down too

hard with your pen or your sheets will be marked.

Start by drawing your rst image on the very last page of your pad, so as you are working through it you

can always see your previous image. This will help as a guide for you to judge where your next picture

will go.

When working through your pad, stop and test your ipbook regularly to check that your animation is

working. If your animation is moving too fast, it means the space between your drawings is too big. Ifyour animation is too slow, it means the space between your drawings is too small.

Once the book is nished, hold the sticky end in your left palm. Using your right hand, ick the sheets

with your thumb, starting from the back.

There are some great examples of animated ip books made with post-it pads. Here is an example,

which has been captured into a computer and made into a video.

Title: Yellow Sticky Notes

Director: Jeff Chiba Stearns

Link: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=7IeSqVboADw


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Rostrum: This describes the position of the camera when capturing drawn and cut-out

animation. Instead of the camera facing forward, the camera is placed on a stand and points

downwards vertically to the surface, where the animation is placed. See Episodes Three and

Four.

Rotoscope: ‘Rotoscope’ is used to describe a technique which utilises live action as a style of

animation for your model or drawing.

Rotoscoping: Rotoscoping is the process of tracing live action video, using it as a guide for your

models or drawings. The process starts with live action video being imported into a piece of

capturing software and the footage being used to inuence the animation through tracing.

Sand Animation: Uses the same principles of stop-motion and cut-out animation, with a cameraset in a rostrum position facing a desk surface. Sand is laid out onto a light box or tray and

shapes and images are created with the grains and then photographed frame by frame.

Shooting on Twos: Creating one image and capturing it twice on two frames of lm.

Stop-Motion Animation: This technique is produced by moving models frame by frame and

photographing them. This style of animation has been used since the start of cinema, from King

Kong to Jack Skeleton. See Episode Two.

Storyboard: A breakdown of a script or story into pictures. Other details are included, such asshot number, shot duration, camera shot and notes such as dialogue.

Squash and Stretch: Any model or character can be pulled and manipulated to improve an action

or movement. ‘Squash’ is a term used to reference the exaggerated or over-emphasized state

used in animation to create a attened position of an object. ‘Stretch’ is the term for an object

which is elongated for drama or performance. A ‘squash and stretch’ exercise is a common

exercise for animators to practice their technique with.

Timing: Timing relates to the number of images required to create an action. The more images

per action, the slower that action will be. The fewer images there are, the faster the action will

be.

Tracking: The term used to describe camera movement. ‘track in’ or ‘track out’ are the terms

used for moving in and out with the camera.

Zoetrope: A device invented in 1834 which produces the illusion of movement from a rapid

selection of pictures. The device works using images inside a drum, which when revolved allows

the viewer to look through a slot in the side to see a simple action.

2D Animation: See Drawn Animation, Episode Four.

3D Animation: See CGI animation.


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Animation Books

Cracking Animation: The Aardman Book of 3D Animation, Lord, P. & Sibley, B. (1999) Thames &

Hudson

Stop Motion Craft Skills for Model Animation, Shaw, S. (2004) Focal Press

The Animator’s Survival Kit, Williams, R. (2002) Faber and Faber

Animation Websites

Animation World News (www.awn.com) provides general news and information about animation

around the world.

Stop-motion animation Forum (www.stopmotionanimation.com) Online stop-motion community

resource. Has articles and advice on everything stop-motion, including model building, animation

techniques and other technical issues.

Canterbury Anifest (www.canterburyanifest.com) Kent’s animation festival. This annual event

happens at the start of November. The website is the place to nd out about animated events in

the area.

Animate and Create (www.animateandcreate.com) Animation workshop company running workshops

for young people, based in Kent. The workshops are run by Dan Richards. Examples of projects made

with Kent schools can be found on the site.

Zu3D (www.zu3d.com)

Aardman Animation (www.aardman.com) details the activities of the Bristol-based independent

animation studio and presents online animation series.

Other Interests

Canterbury Christ Church University (www.canterbury.ac.uk/arts-humanities/media) The Kent-

based university has a wide range of exciting Film, Media and Animation courses to study.

Film Street (www.lmstreet.co.uk)A great resource for young people interested in lm- from

watching to making them! They have a special section on animation.

First Light Movies (www.rstlightonline.co.uk)

Screen South (www.screensouth.org) Kent’s regional lm and media agency. A resource for support,

funding and anything else lm orientated.


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Plasticine

A really good quality Plasticine is ‘New Plast’ made by New Clay Ltd, which is used by a lot ofleading UK animation companies.

http://newclay.co.uk/Newplast.htm

Animation ArmaturesFor those of you who would like a more professional skeleton for your characters, Animation

Supplies based in the South East provide a range of quality armatures.

http://www.animationsupplies.net/

Animation WireAnimation wire is really useful to make models with. The beauty of the wire is that it is made

from aluminium and is strong but soft enough to bend. Recommended wire diameter thickness is

1.22mm.

http://rowancable.co.uk/page5.htm

Polystyrene BallsThe Polystyrene balls which are so useful for characters eyes are available online from a com-

pany based in Thanet. A selection of 40 different sized balls is just 92p, plus postage.

http://www.purplenimbus.com/product/40_polystryeneballs_WD507010

Drawn Animation KitTo produce drawn animation, you will need a few materials including a peg bar, cell paper and

possibly an easel. All of these materials are sold by Chroma Colour.

Peg Barhttp://www.chromacolour.co.uk/store/animation_pegbars.asp

Animation Paperhttp://www.chromacolour.co.uk/store/animation_paper_economy.asp

Daylight Light Boxhttp://uk.daylightcompany.com/product/art-craft-light-box-white/


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